Week 10!!!

Had a CRAZY week her in Jersey! Heres a few of our highlights for the week! So to start off on tuesday we had an Exchange with our District Leader (Elder Allen) and his Companion (Elder Cruz)! Elder Cruz Came to our area with me and Elder Augustin went with Elder Allen to their Area. I guess theres a saying that Miracles happen on exchange and they did! Elder Cruz and I were able to meet with a woman named Shanae and her younger sister! We taught then the Restoration and they were super exited and told us that it was exactly what they had been looking for! We have been struggling to find new people to teach So were super exited about that!:) 

On thursday we met with an older woman that we had been meeting with for awhile her name is Shirley Shes from Guyana! The time before when we met with her she said that the print in her Bible was to small and that she wanted one of those big print Bibles. So on thursday when we got the big Bible that we ordered we decided we would take it over to Shirley. When we got there she was on the phone and she told us that it wasn't a good time.. until she saw the big Bible in my hands! She then told the person on the phone: "Ill Have to call you Back!" hahahah! She was soooo happy that we brought her this Bible! She was Hugging (old laddies are ok to hug i guess) us and kept saying OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! (but she wasn't saying gosh) I thought she was about to cry! hahaha She said that we can call her Grandma from now on! hahah it was great! But it made me think that we sometimes take the scriptures for granted and we should be more grateful for them...  

Friday we were able to visit a less active member in the hospital he has a really contagious virus that made them have to cut off his leg! So we had to wear like gloves and gowns and masks and stuff but he was so happy to see us and we were able to give him a blessing. I was kinda scared to be near him at first but the spirit made it known to me that we would be ok! But were probably not going to go back anymore... He wants his home teachers to come and i want to keep all of my limbs! hahah!

I just love the people here in East Orange and Newark! On Saturday we put on another movie night for the Branch and we watched Ephraims Rescue! They Loved it! Our branch is full of amazing people! 

Well i dont have much time but ill end by saying this: I know that we must keep our Faith ESPECIALLY in these last days Before the Savior comes! Because He's Coming Soon and The World Is Only Getting More Wicked! So It Calls For Us As Saints To Be Stronger Than We Ever Have Been! 

 Oh and If you havent getting replies back from me I cant Chat on here anymore..Sorry new mission Rule... I cant even chat with Mom:( so we have to wait until the next week to here back from me:( 

BUT I LOVE YOU ALL!! Keep up the great work and the emails! I love them!! 

-Elder Fotu 

In front of the mission home:

Another Great Week!

Had yet another great week! Real quick something funny/cool that happened to my companion and I last night! So we were out trying people and had zero success plus we were super hungry because we ate all our food for the week and our dinner appointment canceled on us plus it was sunday so we couldn't eat out! So we were just walking around trying all our backups. We decided to go to the house of a less-active that we had never met but was super far from our apartment and when we got there we knocked and a Man answered the door and said Elders! Come in! Are you Hungry? Thinking that this was the less-active member we were kinda weirded out but he asked us if we were hungry so we went in! hahaha He told us that the guy we were looking for was his wife's Brother who moved like 10 years ago! and that they were from the Portages Branch and were super active in the church! The man introduced us to his wife (who was super nice) and they had just got done eating dinner and had leftovers saved for some elders from the Portages branch that never showed up so ate and talk with them for a while! hahahha Oh and I told them that my old bishop (Bishop Pimentel) was from Brazil and his wife said that she grew up with him! So tell Bishop Pimentel that Sandrea Ataides Fed me some Great Brazilian Food! Our prayers were answered!

I had my first interview with President Taggart on Tuesday! It Went Great! He gave us a sheet of paper that laid out the steps that we should take when inviting inactive priesthood holders back to church and im super exited to start taking those steps with some of the lost members in our branch! Ill send some pictures of me in front of the mission home in Morristown!

We also did some service for our Branch Presidents Second Counciler and his Family the Bludorns! Their like the only white family in our branch! hahahah Younger Family. But we helped Paint one of the rooms in their home! it was super Fun! Ill send some pictures of that as well!     

But things here in East Orange/Newark are going great! Even thought there are a lot of wicked people here we seem to still find people that are interested in hearing what we have to say and we are trying so hard to find people to teach! We find people that we think really want to come to church and be baptized and they act super interested but when we call them or show up to there house to teach them they are nowhere to be found... Gets kinda frustrating but im still pushing to find those people who are ready to receive the Gospel! 

Well i better Get going! I hope everything and everyone at home are doing great! I pray for you every day! I love You All! Stay Strong! Stay Active! 

-Elder Fotu     

HOORAH FOR ISREAL!

The cold weather is here!! I found out this week that the cold here is not like the cold in Utah! It cuts through to the Bone!!  But despite the cold, the Garden state is Beautiful in the Fall! We went to a park in our area and tried to contact some people. The park had this huge pond and on the other side this big hill with lots of trees and at the top of it was the Catholic Basilica. Its was really cool to see even though its a catholic church... But the Holidays are just around the corner! i dant wait to Put on some more weight! We actually eat a lot... We receive donations from a near by Panera Bread Bakery to distribute bread to people in the nabber hood and in our branch and the left over we get to keep.... there are a lot of left overs so we get a lot of pastries and stuff.. hahahah but Elder Augutsin and i run and work out every morning so im trying to get my 230 back down to 220... hahahah plus we walk everywhere! 

We had Stake Conference Saturday and Sunday! Elder Lancing from the 70 presided! Him and his wife gave such great talks! Everything Was on the Topic of Family and how important it is to stay close to our Families in these last days! There were so many people that attended and a lot of the people there were people investigating the church! which was GREAT! 

Our Branch is growing so much! They Are going to have to expand our building and make it a Ward soon!:) The Work Really is Hastening! 

I Hope everyone is doing great in Utah! Some of the things going on in the community have been kinda hard to hear but i know that as we stay close to The Lord and continue to Strengthen our Families we can get past the hard times.

I Love and Pray for you All! Till Next Week!

-Elder Fotu          

Newark chapel:

Building a Kingdom

Cant believe im saying this but i got a little home sick this last week! Reason being was we had a movie night with the members of the branch at the church building and we watched The Other Side Of Heaven! hahah One of my favorite movies! The Members of the ward loved it! They were all cracking up at some of the scenes! It was so funny to see some of them be so surprised at some of the stuff from the Tongan Culture! But the Craziest thing about it was watching the movie whale being a missionary! Soooo many more things stuck out to me in the movie that i could never understand as a kid. The biggest and best thing that made me feel the spirit so strong was the part where Elder Growberg and his comp are walking on the beach just talking and he asks his companion (Feki) why he has so much faith in him. And he says to Elder Growberg "you have traveled such a long way, what you say must be true". and Elder Growberg says: "Well what if i lied to you"? Then what Feki said was what hit me so hard! He said: "Well then you came a long way just to tell a lie". I thought about that and applied it to my self... Even though i havent traveled as far as Elder Growber did to share the gospel, i still feel the same love for the people of New Jersey as he did the people in Tonga, maybe not as much love.. not yet at least but I know that I am teaching is the same word and that if i dont believe that this Gospel is true then what im teaching to these people is a lie.. I Know that this Gospel is true and that our Savior lives. I Know that what im teaching is true and that these truths that i and my companion with the help of God teach can Bless lives! I got a little home sick but at the same time the movie motivated me to have more faith in what im teaching. It also made me be grateful that i dont have have to serve 3 years like Elder Growberg did! haha After the movie some of the members came up to me and elder Makai and said: "did you really live in huts like that in Tonga?" hahah some of them dont know that im from utah but i told them: "Yeah you should see me climb a Cocoanut Tree!" hahahah Elder Makai leaves back home to Utah tomorrow though! Hes the one Tongan Elder (the only one other than me) that i've talked about the one from Spanish Fork hes the Tongan Stake President Makai's Nephew. But hes my homie so go to his Home Coming next week in Spanish Fork! Its Crazy that its my first transfer here and his last! 

I know that as we strengthen our faith in christ by just doing the simple basic things everyday/week (reading scriptures, pray, attend church) and repent of our sins that we will have a sure knowledge that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and that He is our Savior!  

Keep Praying for the People we Teach Please!:) Love You All! Hope You Have A Great Week! Endure To the End! 

-Elder Fotu